(ii) Crash of Indian Airlines Boeing 737 Aircraft near Aurangabad
Airport on 26.4.1993

[English]

THE MINISTER OF CIVIL AVIATION AND TOURISM (SHRI GHULAM NABI
AZAD): The House is aware of the tragic accident to Indian Airlines
flight IC-491 on 26th April, 1993 at Aurangabad

The aircraft, with 112 passengers and 6 crew members, had just
taken off from Aurangabad for Bombay. Before it could gain enough
height, its wheel gear hit a high-rise truck, loaded with cotton,
passing on the road close to the runway outside the perimeter wall at
the eastern end. The landing gear of the aircraft broke off under the
impact and the aircraft swered to the left. Thereafter it hit a power
transmission line and crashed in the field at a distance of about 7
km. from the airport. The aircraft broke into pieces and caught fire.

While 63 persons including the pilot, the co-pilot and 2 other
members of the crew have survived, it is a matter for deep regret that
53 passengers and 2 members of the crew lost their lives. 12 of the
surviving passengers, who had sustained injury, were admitted to the
local hospital; 3 of them left the hospital after first aid and the
rest are recovering.

I visited the crash site along with senior officials of the
Ministry and Indian Airlines and met some of the surviving passengers,
including

371 Statement by Minister

[Sh. Ghulam Nabi Azad)

those in the hospital. Chief Minister of Maharashtra had also come
over from Bombay and the State Government took all possible rescue and
relief measures.

Special information cells have been set up at Delhi, Udaipur,
Jaipur, Aurangabad and Bombay to provide information to relatives of
the passengers. Arrangements have also been made for members of the
bereaved families of Bombay, Jaipur and Udaipur to be taken to
Aurangabad.

Compensation for loss of life in the accident would be paid at
the rate of Rs.5 lakhs for adults and rs.2.5 lakhs for children to the
next of kin.

The available in formation and the situation primafacie, do not
indicate any sabotage. However, Government have decided to institute
a judicial inquiry which will reveal full facts and circumstances of
the unfortunate accident. DGCA has commenced preliminary
investigations.

The sorrow we feel on this sad occasion cannot be describe in
words. I am sure Hon'ble Members will join me in sharing the grief of
the kith and kin of those who lost their precious lives in this
unfortunate incident.

[Translation]

SHRI SHARAD YADAV (Madhepura): Mr. Chairman, Sir, I was raising
this issue today in the morning itself and while doing so I said one
thing. It was about landing and taking off of planes at smaller
airports like Udaipur. I said that as per the existing work culture
in India, it is unfortunate that the persons in the public sector or
in any other Government machinery do not perform their duties with a
sense of responsibility. The Government has, of course, instituted a
judicial inquiry, but it will take a long time for submitting its
report. I have myself had an experience of going through this route.

Mr. Chairman, Sir, through you, I would like to ask or say, I would
Statement by Minister 372

like to convery to the hon. Minister that the technicians appointed
at smaller stations like Udaipur are irresponsible and inefficient in
checking the airworthiness of planes while the technicians working at
big stations like Calcutta or Bombay are competent and highly skilled.

Whenever we under take journey through planes, we observe that the
technicians come and return within 5 minutes. What can they check in
5 minutes? They might be checking two-three things and then they
return. Suppose the said plane had not stopped at 4 stations that is
to say, it had not to take off on 4 stations. You know, a plane has
to exercise maximum energy at the time of landing and taking off and
since it has to apply all its energy at the time of landing and taking
off. So the chances of accident are maximum on those two occasions.

So I would like to submit that there should be an immediate review
about the scheduled under which the plane has to stop at 4 stations.

If the plane had taken off from here itself, then it would have had 2
take offs and 2 landings and in that case this accident could have
been averted. That is why I am saying that these accidents are due to
the passenger type system of flight. I would further like to know
whether the hon. Minister has got the information about this or not?

SHRI DAU DAYAL JOSHI: Mr. Chairman, Sir, I would like to know
from the hon. Minister and would like to tell him that the day before
yesterday one person had come to attend a marriage in Kota city from
Aurangabad and yesterday he was going back to Aurangabad via Jaipur by
the same plane.The news of accident of that plane came on television
at 3 O'Clock and with that I grew anxious about that fellow. I kept
on trying together some news in this regard ever since 3 O'Clock, but
I could not succeed. It was not conveyed through television as to at
which place information regarding the accident could be available. I
was, however, trying my best to get any information in this regard. I
rang up at your residence at 6 O'Clock at last and only then I came to
knw that the hon. Minister had personally gone to the site of
accident and I could know noting more than that. That is to say there
was

373 Statement by Minister

no arrangement to provide any information in this regard even at your
residence. I hoped that there must be some arrangement to provide
information in this regard at least at your residence. I was much
worried for not getting any information from anywhere. It could be
okay if information in this regard would have at least been given in
the evening news at 6.05 p.m. on T.V. or radio. You should have made
some arrangement of this kind. The people through out the country
were worried following this accident and the family members of the
travellers had to undergo acute mental agony due to lack of
arrangement to provide information in this regard. The lack of
information arrangement added further agony to the already worried
members of the family.

Secondly, I would like to ask whether it is a fact that there was
a truck on the runway loaded with cotton bales. If it is a fact, then
it is another subject of inquiry as to how a truck loaded with cotton
bales came on the runway. It is all right that you have set up an
inquiry in this regard. But generally it has been observed at every
place that people keep moving on the runway in an unauthorised way, I
would like you to make a reply in this regard also (Interruptions)
[English]

SHRI E. AHAMED (Manjeri): Sir, the airworthiness of some of our
aircrafts is not good. Then, there is also a compliant that the
maintenance was not adequate and also the over-utilisation of these
aircrafts is causing this type of accidents, We have ageing 737
aircrafts. I would like to know whether the Government or the
Ministry has been paying sufficient attention to take care of the
maintenance when all other countries are phasing out 737 series. Will
the Government apply its mind on this very important question so as to
remove the apprehensions in the minds of the people?

MR. CHAIRMAN: Ordinarily, we do not allow any clarifications on
the statement. But since this being a very said incident, I am
allowing two

Statement by Minister 374

or three Members to ask clarifications.

[Translation]

KUMARI MAMTA BANERJEE (Calcutta South): Mr. Chairman, Sir, it is
a highly tragic accident. The way the incidents of hijacking and air-
crash are taking place has left the people in doubts. I would like to
know as to what steps are being taken by the hon. Minister to boost
up the morale of the public. The inquiry will take six months to
submit its report. Private Airlines are ready to give more salary to
the captains than what is given by the Indian Airlines. The captians
of Indian Airlines have been offered rupees five lakh by the other
Airlines. The Captains of Indian Airlines are given 10-12 thousand
only.

There is a possibility of internal sabotage is the accident that
took place yesterday. Otherwise the accident could have been averted.

[English]

MR. CHAIRMAN: He has instituted a judicial inquiry.

[Translation]

KUMARI MAMTA BANERJEE: It is very unfortunate. The judicial
enquiry will take at least six months time. It is the matter
pertaining to general public, M. Ps. and Ministers. The M. Ps. were
discussing in the Central Hall yesterday whether they should travel by
Airlines or not.

[English]

SHRI CHETAN P.S. CHAUHAN (Amroha): Sir, my first point is, so far
105 pilots of the Indian Airlines have left and they have gone either
abroad or they have joined private airlines. Due to this, do we have
technically trained pi lots of the aircrafts? That is one point and
my next point is, the 737 planes have already outlived their life of
10 years or whatever and they have been discorded all over the world.

But we are still

375 Statement by Minister

[Sh. Chetan P.S.Chauhan]

flogging those aircrafts. What is the Minister going to do about it
because the people have lost the confidence? In the last one month,
this is the fourth incident; three planes have been hijacked and the
fourth is this crash. Earlier, his predecessor has resigned for only
one crash. What is the Minister doing? He should resign immediately.

[Translation]

THE MINISTER OF CIVIL AVIATION AND TOURISM (SHRI GHULAM NABI
AZAD): Yadav ji was sayings in his question that there are accidents
due to the fact that aircraft lands at 3-4 places. I am sorry that I
do not share this view of the hon. Member because this is not the new
arrangement, rather it is in practice for several years. I think that
in our country the number of landings of a plane is least in the world
our aeroplanes are under utilised. Accident has nothing to do with
it.

As regards the information some other hon. Member has sought to
know, I would like to say that information was not available till 6
O'Clock. Nobody was able to say as to how many persons died and how
many are alive (Interruptions)

SHRI DAU DAYAL JOSHI (Kota): It was not known who died there.

(Interruptions)

SHRI GHULAM NABI AZAD: We were present there till 2 A.M. It was
not known till that time. Then how you can get information at 6 A. M.

I was myself there till 2 A. M. and we were trying our best to take
out the dead bodies. The Ministry has sent an aeroplane with doctors
and medicines from here. Another aeroplane was sent from Bombay which
also carried medicines. The local administration was very active.

The plane caught fire so at that time the best effort was how to take
out the bodies. We have left three planes there from yesterday. The
Government has made all arrangements to furnish in formation to the
relatives of the passengers in Bombay,

Statement by Minister 376

Udaipur and Jaipur. We had also taken the crew members with us. Some
passengers have returned by morning flight. It is wrong that a truck
was stationed on the run-way. I do not know how this rumour was
spread.

SHRI DAU DAYAL JOSHI: The truck was stationed on the runway..

(Interruptions)

SHRI GHULAM NABI AZAD: In my statement I have said that the road
is very close to the runway and there is a wall between the two. I
have accepted this thing in my statement that the runway and road run
parallel. By chance when this plane took off the truck was also
passing through there and unfortunately the truck was not any ordinary
truck. It was loaded with cotton. People who have knowledge of
cotton know well that cotton is loaded 30-40 feet high. Due to weight
the plane rose up and hit cotton. After that one of its wheels came
out. Efforts were made to control the plane upto 1-2 kms. There was
a high tension line and it entangled with this line and the plane
fell down. Eye witness said that the plane caught fire from the back
portion and then it spread to the front. Persons sitting there
whether they are the crew members or the passengers, jumped out of the
plane, but the passengers sitting backside could not have opened the
door due to fire as a result all the passengers sitting there died of
burns. The passengers who died in this plane crash did not die of
injuries but of fire. Had the plane not caught fire, 55 passengers
sifting on back-side could have been saved as 63 passengers sitting in
the front were saved. (Interruptions)

SHRI DAU DAYAL JOSHI: This accident occured due to the truck and
the truck was on the runway.

SHRI GHULAM NABI AZAD: The accident occured due to truck but, how
it can be on the runway. 10 thousand people were sitting there. I was
not alone there, then how the truck can be on the
runway...(Interruptions)

SHRI SHYAM BIHARI MISRA (Bilhaur):

377 Statement by Minister

Hon. Lal Bahdur Shastri had resigned due to a rail accident. So
you should also resign.

SHRI GHULAM NABI AZAD: Do not say so for your own publicity.

Kindly listen to me. (Interruptions)

[English]

SHRI AMAL DATTA (Diamond Harbour): Was the dangerous situation
not known earlier? Now I understand that this road has been closed
temporarily, after the event has taken place.

Why was it not thought of by the Indian Airlines and the
Administration earlier?

SHRI GHULAM NABI AZAD: Yesterday, the hon. Chief Minister was
also there. He has ordered that there should be some barricades so
that while taking off and landing, the road should be closed'.

One hon. Member has said, Boeing 737 is an ageing aircraft.

Yes, some of the 737 aircraft are aged aircraft. But according to the
manufacturers, as far as their life is concerned, with normal
maintenance and over haul, the minimum life is 20..(Interruptions)
They have not reached even minimum life so far. Flight
utilisation, I must say, cycle flown should be 600,000; it has just
flown only 50,000. Hours flown should be 60,000. It has just flown
only 43,000. So, ageing factor is not correct of course. There might
be other contributory things. That is why, we instituted a judicial
enquiry.

[Translation]

SHRI CHETAN P.S. CHAUHAN: First, tell us how will you take the
public into confidence. (Interruptions)

SHRI GHULAM NABI AZAD: It is an unfortunate thing that the accident
occurred but it was not in our own hands to avoid it (Interruptions)
Demands for Grants(Gen.), 378